MashReads Podcast

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Angie Thomas' new YA novel The Hate U Give. The Hate U Give follows Starr Carter, a black teen who witnesses her unarmed friend Khalil get shot and killed by a police officer during a traffic stop. In addition to having to face the trauma of witnessing the shooting, as the sole witness to the incident, Starr finds herself at the center of the trial against the cop that shot Khalil. But after speaking to her police department about the incident, Starr quickly learns that any sense of justice following the shooting is going to be hard fought — rather than investigating the officer, the authorities conduct a character attack on Khalil, who was a drug dealer at the time of his death, with rumors circulating that he may have been in a gang. Now, mourning the loss of her friend, Starr must figure out how to find her voice and speak out, even while both cops and people in her neighborhood seek to silence her. Then, inspired by the way The Hate U Give addresses gun violence and police brutality, we discuss our favorite socially conscious literature including Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, Citizen by Claudia Rankine, White Teeth by Zadie Smith, and Shrill by Lindy West.

Aliza recommends Harry Styles' solo album Harry Styles. "His stuff is so good. It's got this '70s/ '80s vibe. I was literally listening to it on loop for a good two days."

Martha recommends Amandla Stenberg's cover of Mac DeMarco's song Let My Baby Stay. "She directed the video and edited it, and it's so amazing. She's so talented." You can watch the performance here. Martha also recommends watching The Bachelorette.

MJ recommends the Twitter account WeRateDogs™, a Twitter account that gives very optimistic and absurd ratings to dog photos.

Inspired by the new Starz adaptation, this week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Neil Gaiman's tale of warring deities, American Gods.

The novel follows Shadow, a man just released from prison and looking to find his way home. However, Shadow is intercepted by a mysterious man named Mr. Wednesday who enlists Shadow as his assistant and body guard. Soon Shadow is sucked into a world much bigger and much more powerful than the one he knew before.

Then, we move from American Gods and talk about our favorite books featuring mythology.

And, as always, we close the show with recommendations:

Aliza recommends John Oliver's show Last Week Tonight, especially after the show's episode about kidney dialysis. "I think it's really important for us to be aware of this specifically because it does impact hundreds of thousands of people."

Peter recommends Season 3 of Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt . "I've been really super lucky enough to watch several episodes of the upcoming Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Season 3, and it is so wonderful. It's just a ray of sunshine. Delighted to have it in my life."

MJ recommends rewatching the movie Bring It On. "A thing you should know about me is that I have loved Bring It On since it first came out ... It is campy goodness that is rightfully in the American cannon. I rewatched it last week and I am happy to say: it holds up!" Along with that, he also recommends MTV's Oral History of Bring It On, where the stars and producers of the film talk about making the movie.

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Mariana Enriquez's new short story collection 'Things We Lost In The Fire' with Enriquez herself.

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Congressman John Lewis' graphic memoir 'March Vol 1.'

Then, inspired by the visual storytelling in the graphic novel, we talk about the best uses of art in literature.

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of 'The Outsiders' and chat with the iconic book's author S.E. Hinton.

And as always, we close the show with recommendations:

S.E. Hinton has a host of recommendations 'Lost City of Z' by David Grann (and the recent movie adaptation starring Robert Pattinson and Charlie Hunan, as well), 'The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women Across The Ancient World' by Andrienne Mayor, and 'The Dry' by Jane Harper. She also recommends rereading Jane Austen. "I reread her novels every year, and I always find some new trick she has pulled.

Aliza recommends journalist Lauren Duca's Teen Vogue column 'Thigh-high Politics.' You can check out her latest story here. "She goes through big things from the week in a way that I personally find funny and engaging. It helps narrow what people should be paying attention to."

Peter recommends rewatching the anime 'Trigun.' "It's really wonderful. It starts off silly but it gets really deep, in its own. I love the characters and I love the environment and I love the story it wants to tell.

MJ recommends listening to 'Nancy,' WNYC's new LGBTQ podcast. "It is so damn good ... It's a really, really great, empathetic, moving podcast."

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic The Great Gatsby. Then, inspired by Gatsby's place in the canon of books we all read in high school, we chat about our favorite high school books including Lord Of The Flies by William Golding, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, and Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger.

Then, as always, we close the show with recommendations:

Aliza recommends Pod Save America, Lovett or Leave It, and the other podcasts from Crooked Media.

Peter recommmends the new Mystery Science Theater 3000 reboot on Netflix. He also recommends Slate's Political Gabfest (as a counter to Aliza's recommnendation of Pod Save America.) 

MJ recommends "Touring the Galleries of Vin Diesel’s Facebook Page With Art Critic Jerry Saltz," a New York Magazine article where art critic Jerry Saltz deconstructs the (very weird) art Vin Diesel posts on Facebook.

Author Mohsin Hamid has an observation about how people migrate today: "Human existence is an existence of transience. We don't stick around, sadly, and we change from moment to moment." It is this observation that inspired Mohsin's latest novel Exit West, a stirring fable about the world's migrant crisis. The novel follows two lovers, Nadia and Saeed, who live in a fictional city that succumbs to a militant civil war. Though restrictions are soon placed their city, Nadia and Saeed are not stuck in their immediate location — mysterious doors begin to opening, allowing Nadia and Saeed to migrate from place to place instantly. The novel is inspired by Mohsin's own migrant past — he has lived all over the world ever since he was a child.  "But I was feeling increasingly this resentment of or fear of migrants that cropping up in America and particularly Britain where I lived before. And when I went back to Pakistan, so many people told me they wanted to leave, they wanted to get out of Pakistan. They said 'Why did you come back?' The tension between those two things — my knowledge of the resistance against migrants that was growing and also the desire for migration that was also so strong — gave birth to this book."

This week on the MashReads Podcast, Peter talks to author Mohsin Hamid about his new novel Exit West.

This week on the 'MashReads Podcast,' we are joined by author Jeff Zentner to discuss his latest novel 'Goodbye Days.'

And, as always, we close the show with recommendations:

Jeff recommends 'The Last of August' by Brittany Cavallaro. The book is the second book in the 'Charlotte Holmes' series. "Both books are the most utterly brilliant blend of commercial and literary writing." He also recommends 'History Is All You Left Me' by Adam Silvera (which we talked about here on the MashReads Podcast with Silvera himself). And finally, Jeff has been reading books by Khaled Hosseini. "He is what I want to be. His books are so poignant and so resonant and so beautifully written."

Aliza recommends the 'Percy Jackson & The Olympians' series after seeing the new off-broadway show 'The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical.' "They're fun and they're funny. Even though when you are reading them, it's very clear they are written for 12-year-olds, there are some deep dark stuff barely under the surface."

Peter recommends HBO's show 'Big Little Lies.' "This is one of the rare things where I would almost have watched this than read the book because it is such a visual story, or at least how they tell it on HBO. It is so dramatically withholding in visual form."

MJ recommends 'South and West' by Joan Didion. "[Joan Didion] is just such an astute observer of life."

This week we are joined by author Katie Kitamura to read and discuss her new book 'A Separation.'

'A Separation' is one woman's inner thoughts as she travels to Greece to try to uncover the mystery of her separated and soon-to-be divorced from husband who goes missing on a research trip.And as always, we close the show with recommendations.

Katie recommends 'The Mountain', an upcoming short story collection by Paul Yoon. "[The stories] kind of migrate, there's a path of migration but both through time and through space. They are really beautifully observed."

MJ recommends 'Evicted' by Matthew Desmond. "It is this incredible investigation into poverty and the practice of eviction in America and how eviction really is a destabilizing force in America that not only destabilizes families but also whole communities."

Aliza recommends 'Feud,' Ryan Murphy's current show on FX. It's about the creation of the movie What Ever Happened to Baby Jane.' I LOVE it. As a series, it is so well done; as social commentary, it is so well done, the actors in it are amazing."

Peter recommends the new Comedy Central show 'Detroiters.' "It is freaking hilarious." He also recommends the FX show Legion "It is exceptionally interesting television. Even when the story makes no sense, it is still mesmerizing to watch."

And we have a bonus recommendation: this video of a girl professing her love to a broken water boiler, which she thinks is a friendly robot. MJ says, "My emotions were not prepared for this video. It is adorable!"

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we read and discuss Samanta Schweblin surrealist novel 'Fever Dream.' Then inspired by the book's trippy nature, we chat about books that make us say 'WTF?!'And as always we close the show with recommendations.

Aliza recommends You Must Remember This by Karina Longworth, a podcast that covers the unknown secrets and lesser-known stories of Hollywood in the 20th century. "It's just amazing. Karina is amazing. Here research is great. Her voices when she does old timey actresses is great. I highly, highly recommend."

Peter recommends the newest Saga Vol 6. "Every time I read [Saga] I am so absorbed and very emotionally moved by those characters. It's the best comic series that I currently read." He also shouts out Margaret Atwood's New York Times Book Review cover story 'Margaret Atwood on What ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Means in the Age of Trump.'

MJ recommends 'Maxine Waters Is Back and She Is Not Here To Play' by R. Eric Thomas. "It is an older post but every time I read it, it makes me laugh. It is a masterclass in writing with voice and humor."